Chapter 43 Kidney Deficiency and Cold Uterus
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The young man's gaze was too intense, attracting attention unnecessarily.
All the guests present knew that the two were engaged, and they tacitly left that space empty.
Lin Zhaoheng gave a signal, and the two old women understood and stepped forward to carry away the inappropriate Lin Zhirou.
Seeing this, Lin Pinyan immediately sided with him: "Yes! Brother-in-law!"
The voice was extremely obsequious.
*Slap!* Lin Xihe slapped the boy on the shoulder and scolded him in a low voice, “Children are not allowed to talk nonsense.”
She couldn't even utter a simple "shut up." Wen Zhixu glanced at the defenseless girl before him, took a few steps forward, and whispered, "Are you angry? I've been—"
Before she could finish speaking, someone carrying a huge object forced their way in: "Miss Lin, this is a birthday gift!"
Lin Xihe was speechless for a moment. Despite having zero martial arts skills, she had unexpectedly acquired a sharpened sword.
She took the sword, her arm sinking as she reluctantly said, "Thank you, Young Master Xie."
Xie Qi: "..." You're welcome.
He's the kind of person who can't keep a secret; his mouth talks faster than his brain: "If the heroine discovers anyone entering or leaving a brothel, and you see which arm that person is using to hug or grope, then you should use this sword to cut off that arm."
Xie Qi added, "It should be dealt with according to family rules."
The implication in those words couldn't be clearer.
Wen Zhixu's face immediately darkened. If there hadn't been so many people present, he would have already beaten Xie Qi up.
Lin Xihe seemed to be deep in thought. She held the sword with both hands and made a sword flourish in the air in the direction of Wen Zhixu.
"It's so heavy," she said seriously. "Domestic violence, I can't handle that."
"..."
The group strolled to the central courtyard, which connected the inside and outside, with a constant flow of people coming and going. From there, one could see Lin Zhaoheng chatting with his friends, as well as young men and women gathering together for quiet conversation.
Wen Zhixu wanted to be alone with Lin Xihe, but saw her being led away by Xie Qi's sister, Xie Lan.
Xie Qi: "Lan'er was just having a private chat with Lady Lin, why are you making such a fuss?"
Wen Zhixu angrily said, "She kidnapped him."
Xie Qi's expression cracked for a moment: "Do you know what you look like right now?"
The preface to the article came with a cold glance.
Xie Qi: "Like a resentful concubine who has been banished to the cold palace by the emperor!"
From the artificial hill on one side of the courtyard, the dull sounds of fists and feet clashing soon came.
The wailing of a certain unfortunate man was drowned out by the chatter of the two girls.
Xie Lan had heard about Lady Lin eight hundred times from her brother and had always wanted to meet her in person.
We met today.
"What would you like to eat?" Lin Xihe was about to offer her a meal when she turned around and saw Xie Lan kneeling down with a thud.
"Xie Lan thanks Miss Lin for saving her life!"
Lin Xihe: ...What's going on?
Lady Xie and the Empress were cousins, and they often visited the palace to have private conversations. Over time, the Empress began to think about Xie Lan's marriage.
Among all the officials and military officers in the court, only the Duke of Wenguo's family was of comparable social standing and had eligible unmarried sons.
When the Empress learned that Wen Zhixu disliked Lin Xihe, she intended to match him with Xie Lan and arranged for Xie Qi to marry Lin Xihe.
A while ago, I specially sent my trusted nanny to Wen Zhixu to give him some "guidance".
Xie Lan was extremely unhappy upon hearing Wen Zhixu's name and caused a huge commotion in the mansion.
Only one person was happy to see this happen: Xie Qi was overjoyed to be able to become even closer to his friend.
Xie Lan pulled Lin Xihe aside and complained, "Who wants to marry that ice-cold face! He never says a nice thing. Last time my brother went out with him, he wanted to buy me some dried fruit, and guess what he said?"
Lin Xihe recalled the dried peaches that Wen Zhixu had sent and blurted out, "He said, 'It's just a little dried fruit, I'll buy it'?"
Xie Lan fumed, "He said only pigs eat that much! He wouldn't even let the carriage stop in front of the pastry shop for even a moment longer!"
Lin Xihe: "..." That mouth is a bit venomous.
Xie Lan kept calling her "benefactor," which gave Lin Xihe the illusion that Xie Lan was a "savior of the world."
When exactly are you and Wen Zhixu getting married?
Xie Lan was truly worried. As long as the marriage between the two remained unresolved, she was in constant danger. She was genuinely afraid that one day an imperial decree would suddenly arrive at her home; she would rather die than marry the man surnamed Wen.
Lin Xihe: "He and I are friends. Besides, he doesn't want to marry me."
"Friend?" Xie Lan dropped the pastry in her hand to the ground.
Just then, an unfamiliar old woman waited respectfully in the outer courtyard of Tinghe Pavilion: "Miss Lin, the Second Young Master has sent this old servant to deliver dried apricots to you."
Lin Xihe's eyes lit up as soon as she heard the words "dried apricots".
"Is this how you make friends?" Xie Lan pointed at the familiar "Chantangzhai" paper package, greatly shocked. "You can't buy their candied fruit without queuing for half an hour!"
The largest courtyard of the Lin family mansion was decorated like a garden party, and Lin Zhaoheng went to great lengths to make his daughter happy.
Several stone tables were laden with drinks, cakes, and fruits, all of which were the most popular in Shengjing. A chef with an unfamiliar face was making pastries, and his technique attracted Lin Xihe to stop and watch.
"How about we sculpt a little pig for Miss Lin?" the cook asked with a smile.
Lin Xihe's eyebrows curved into a smile.
The cook's fingers flew, and in a moment he had sculpted a small, crimson pig's head with an unusually long snout.
The design was too familiar, and Lin Xihe fell silent: How could an ancient chef know Peppa Pig?
It seemed someone was walking this way, footsteps accompanied by the hushed chatter of the young masters and ladies. Just as Lin Xihe was about to turn her head, a warm shadow fell over her from the side.
Wen Zhixu appeared beside her at some point and asked softly, "Do you like it?" He had specially asked the chef of the Wen family to teach him.
His tone was unusually gentle, quite different from usual. Lin Xihe studied him for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Are you sick?"
Wen Zhixu was momentarily stunned. He buried himself in the jade shop every day, learning to make jade hairpins from the old craftsman Li Qixing. If he was sick, it was from overwork.
A smile appeared on his lips as he gladly accepted Lin Xihe's concern: "You care about me."
Lin Xihe nodded as if it were a matter of course: "You're my friend."
They're friends again. The slight smile on Wen Zhixu's lips faded.
"Hey—" Xie Qi called out from not far away, spoiling the mood. The two looked in the direction of the voice and saw him holding up a pitch-pot arrow, waving in their direction and beckoning them to come and play together.
Flashy and gaudy. Wen Zhixu silently shot him a sharp glare.
Lin Xihe recalled what Xie Qi's attendant had said: Wen Zhixu had disappeared from Panxiang Street in recent days, most likely frequenting places of pleasure.
She coughed lightly, moved closer to Wen Zhixu, and whispered furtively in his ear: "Take a word of advice from a friend, you know... you need to know how to be moderate, otherwise you'll easily suffer from kidney deficiency. Health is the foundation of everything."
The words "moderation" and "kidney deficiency" made Wen Zhixu's brain buzz.
"Let's play pitch-pot!" Lin Xihe made a move to run away, but her body suddenly stopped. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wen Zhixu's hand. He was holding the squirrel fur ball at her waist with a light grip.
She loved the pom-pom so much, but was afraid of losing it, so she tied the tassels and red ribbons tightly around it.
Lin Xihe was pulled back by that force, and just then, he whispered in her ear, "What does 'kidney deficiency' mean?"
How is she supposed to explain this? Does she expect Professor Lin to give a lecture on men's health right here and now?!
After a moment's thought, Wen Zhixu's voice grew increasingly deep and slow: "Are you referring to me... as having weak kidney essence?"
Lin Xihe: "..."
Xie Qi: "Wen Er, heroine, come and join me!"
Lin Xihe snapped, "Why are you pulling me? Go ask your brother, don't ask me!"
A moment later, she held a stack of arrows; the first arrow missed, and the second also went astray…
Wen Zhixu had already pulled Xie Qi aside to ask about the whole story, his face darkening several times: "Is this how you made up this lie to her?"
Xie Qi said sullenly, "The servants in the manor said so. Who told you to disappear on the brothel street?"
Wen Zhixu gritted his teeth: "That jade shop is right behind Panxiang Street, I was just taking a shortcut!"
Xie Qi tried to argue, but his friend's fists, which showed no regard for family, rained down.
Lin Xihe missed the target in the arrow-throwing game, but Wen Zhixu's punches landed squarely, hitting Xie Qi where it hurt the most.
...Lin Xihe was the only player in the entire competition to score zero points.
The biggest winner was Xie Qi's younger sister, Xie Lan, who had been learning archery since childhood and easily won first place.
The grand prize was simple and straightforward: a plump, large gold ingot. Lin Xihe watched enviously as Xie Lan took the ingot away, her heart bleeding.
"Want some?" Wen Zhixu, feeling refreshed after beating Xie Qi, picked up ten arrows and announced to the crowd, "I haven't even tried them yet."
Lin Xihe seized the opportunity to cling to her "golden thigh" and fawned over her to become her personal cheerleader.
Wen Zhixu did not disappoint her, hitting the target ten times out of ten, making him a veritable human pitching machine.
He said to Xie Lan, "I apologize for my inconvenience," and snatched the gold ingot from her hand before she could even warm it.
The gold ingot fell into Lin Xihe's hands.
Xie Lan stomped her foot in anger as the gold ingot she had almost won vanished: "Wen Zhixu, you bastard! I won that!"
Wen Zhixu calmly cupped his hands in greeting: "Thank you for your kind offer, Miss."
After playing around for a while, Lin Xihe was covered in a light sweat. She took the small fan that Qingwu handed her. Suddenly, she heard the chirping of cicadas, so she strolled along the corridor towards the shady side of the trees.
When Wen Zhixu found her, the girl was gently poking at the cicada shells on the tree trunk with the handle of her fan.
He stood a short distance away, watching her play with great interest.
"You've always been afraid of insects, but you're not afraid today?"
Lin Xihe was startled by his voice, and a competitive spirit inexplicably filled her heart: "Who said that? This is called 'the cicada shedding its shell,' it's empty, where did the worm come from?"
Wen Zhixu's gaze passed over her and focused intently on what was behind him: "You'd better not move."
The girl's expression froze, stiffening like the stone lions outside the Lin residence.
He stepped forward and reached out to touch the tree.
Lin Xihe hesitated for a moment, then realized: this kid was just teasing her again, and she wouldn't fall for it!
She lowered her guard, slapped his hand away, and opened her arm, intending to use the fan handle to hook off the cicada shell.
Unexpectedly, a strand of silver thread wrapped around the fan handle before the cicada's molt appeared.
The silver thread shimmered in the sunlight, like a miniature parachute cord, with something slowly descending from the tree suspended below it.
A live, plump one, with eight legs kicking wildly—
spider.
In that instant, Wen Zhixu's eyes were opened: it turns out that a person's expression can truly be as colorful as a palette.
Terrified, Lin Xihe screamed silently, grabbed the human-shaped shield beside her, bumped her head against his chin, and snuggled tightly into his arms.
His tall figure enveloped her completely.
"Spiders... I'm most afraid of spiders..."
Wen Zhixu winced in pain, and looking down, he saw a small whorl of hair on the top of her head, like a vortex of clouds pressing down on the sky before a thunderstorm.
He put his arm around her with one hand and brushed away the insolent spider with the other.
"It's gone."
Lin Xihe didn't believe him, her face still buried in his clothes, her voice making his chest tingle: "...No, look again."
Wen Zhixu looked around, but there was no sign of the spider.
To reassure her, he took a few steps on the ground and coaxed her in a low voice, "I've flattened it, it's really gone."
Lin Xihe relaxed her shoulders slightly and suspiciously peeked out from his arms to secretly look at the ground.
A casual glance revealed that the chinchilla pom-pom ornaments on their waists were tangled into a knot.
She reached out, trying carefully to separate them.
But from above came a very soft sigh from Wen Zhixu: "I have never been to a brothel, not even once. These past few days I've been at the jade shop, leaving early and returning late. I haven't written to you because the pigeons don't know the way to your mother's place."
Lin Xihe pulled away from his embrace, her eyes drooping, her fingertips unconsciously poking at the squirrel tail around his waist: "Who wants to hear your reports..."
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